


Safe & Sound

by CoffeeAndArrows



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, How Laura met Natasha, Hurt/Comfort, Laura & Nat bonding, Multi, but very vague ones, mentions of passive suicidal ideation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-11 12:55:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5627374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeAndArrows/pseuds/CoffeeAndArrows
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laura Barton was a perfectly normal person, thank you very much. Sometimes, she just needed to remind herself of this. Especially when her husband decided to turn up at 3 am with an unknown redhead, whose arms were duct taped together.</p><p>----------</p><p>Clint Brings Nat to the farm after he doesn't kill her. This is the story of Natasha Romanov, Laura Barton, and Clint Barton, and how they became what they are today.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Meetings

**Author's Note:**

> Clint Brings Nat to the farm after he doesn't kill her. This is the story of Natasha Romanov, Laura Barton, and Clint Barton, and how they became what they are today :)
> 
> I don't think any major warnings apply to this, except there are vague mentions of passive suicidal ideation. If you notice any tags etc. missing, let me know.
> 
> This is the first chapter, and I will continue if anyone is interested :) Most of the chapters are mapped out, so they should be out in a few days. Enjoy :)

Laura Barton was a perfectly normal person, thank you very much. Sometimes, she just needed to remind herself of this when her husband decided to turn up at 3 am with an unknown redhead, whose arms were duct taped together. She watched from the window as he ushered her inside, but as soon as he disappeared from her view, she crept downstairs to find out what the _hell_ was going on. 

Clint wasn't the kind of person to just appear on the doorstep with strangers - he knew how much effort it had taken to set this place up. Off the grid, and off SHIELD files. Those had been their only conditions, but both of them had been reluctant to involve other people in their lives. Hell, they hadn't even told her parents about the move until afterwards.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she moved into the doorway, to find her husband and the girl glaring at each other across the table. 

'Natalia, don't be ridiculous. I can't just let you go, and until I'm sure that SHIELD won't kill you at first sight, you're staying here.'

The girl just glared at him silently, causing him to run his hands through his hair in frustration. Clearing her throat, Laura stepped into the room, pointedly ignoring the other girl's flinch. She raised her eyebrows towards her husband, expecting an explanation.

'Clint.' He looked towards her, opening his mouth as if to say something, but cut himself off before he had started. His eyes flicked over to the girl in the corner, causing Laura to roll her eyes at him. Was it possible for him to behave like a normal, civilized human being for _one_ night? Would it be too much trouble? 

Trying not to laugh at his social incompetence, she mouthed 'Introductions?'

Surprise flashed across his face, as if the idea hadn't even crossed his mind. She refrained from rolling her eyes a second time, instead choosing to direct her attention to the mysterious girl. 

'Uh..Laura, this is Natalia. Natalia, Laura - my wife.'

She studied the girl, Natalia, carefully. She looked young, no older than 25, and she could tell that she must be beautiful when not covered in blood. _Shit. Blood._ Was she bleeding? She didn't hold herself like someone who was in pain, although Clint never did either. Flicking her eyes down the girls tense body, scanning for injury, she noticed the clothing - or Clint's clothing, to be more precise - that adorned her body. Under the lumpy sweater, she couldn't help noticing the girls fragile frame, and her porcelain pale skin . Trying to ignore the bruise-like bags under her eyes, she greeted the other girl.

'It's nice to meet you Natalia. Would you like me to show you to the bathroom so you can clean up?' She glanced down at the duct tape, and then over to her husband. 'Clint, can we lose the tape?'

He looked unsure, hesitating to glare at the other girl, before moving to grab the scissors. Laura tried to ignore the way the other girl flinched as Clint drew nearer, but she had little success. As her husband pulled off the tape, he looked the girl in the eyes.

'You try anything funny, and I'll hand you straight to SHIELD. Got it?'

The girl looked down at the floor, biting her lip. Clint was supposed to kill her, Laura reminded herself. But Clint never killed people if he didn't think they deserved it, and this girl didn't look like a bad person - she just looked lost, and alone. Like she'd been through hell and back.

Flashing a look towards her husband, Laura stepped forwards, motioning to him to stay back and let her try to deal with the situation.

'Hey. Natalia, right?' She waited for the girl to reply, but received no response. Ploughing on regardless, she continued. 'I don't know you, and you don't know me. But this house is a safe place, where you can stay for as long as you need to. You don't have to stay here, you can go to SHIELD with Clint, but judging by your conversation, they're not very happy with you right now. Which leaves this as your only option.'

Laura waited patiently for the other girl to react, but when she did, the words that came from her mouth were not the words that she had expected. 'SHIELD want to kill me.'

Raising an eyebrow as her suspicions were confirmed, she tossed a look towards Clint, who was avoiding her eyes as he shifted from one foot to another awkwardly in the doorway. There was something off, something _wrong_ about the way the other girl had spoken. Even though her voice was almost emotionless, there was something there - hope. Something that had no place in that sentence, _Ever._

Quietly, so that Clint couldn't hear, she murmured 'Do you _want_ SHIELD to kill you Natalia?'

Biting her lip again, the girl met Laura's gaze, her eyes once more cool and hard. 'I would like to use the bathroom please.'

Laura nodded slowly, accepting the change in subject, at least for now. 'Come on. I'll show you.'

\----------

Closing the bathroom door, she wasn't surprised to see her husband lingering just outside. Wordlessly, he followed her into the kitchen, and they remained in silence whilst he turned on the coffee machine. It was 4 in the morning, after all.

Laura broke the silence when it became unbearable, when the need for answers became too much. 'Who is she?'

He sighed wearily. 'I was tasked to tracking down an assassin. The Black Widow. I was supposed to kill her.' He paused to take a deep breath, before continuing, 'She's highly trained, has a kill list as long as half of SHIELD put together, I should have been able to do it.'

His voice dropped down to a pained whisper. 'But when I looked her in the eyes, I couldn't. So I brought her here.'

Ashamed, he lifted his head up to meet Laura's. She absentmindedly rubbed her thumb across his jawline, taking in the dark circles under his eyes, and the faint shadow of stubble that was beginning to creep across his jaw. 'Why?'

Clint looked up, startled. Of all the questions he had been expecting, that was the one that he had no answer to. 'I... I don't know. She's 19, Laur. 19, and her whole life she's been messed with, forced to kill people by some sick fucks. And I guess... I guess when I looked her in the eyes, I didn't see a dangerous Russian assassin, I just saw a lost little girl, and I couldn't do it.'

She swallowed, trying to get rid of the sick feeling in her stomach. _Her whole life..._ No. She didn't need to know what that meant, at least not today.

Clint wasn't finished, she could tell that. There was a piece missing, something he hasn't told her. So she waited, rubbing the back of his hand soothingly, and eventually, the words tumbled out, his voice barely a whisper.

'I shouldn't have been able to catch her. She let me. I looked down the scope, and she looked me in the eyes. But I didn't see any fear, and she didn't try to run or escape. She looked...' He paused, unable to find the right words. 'She looked... hopeful. As if she was glad, that it was finally over.'

Blinking back her tears, she squeezed her husband's hand before getting up to grab their coffee. How awful must your life have been if your first emotion, when someone had come to kill you, was hope?

'What's going to happen now?'

Her husband sighed, before turning to look at her. 'I'll go back to SHIELD. I don't know what's going to happen now. Coulson'll cover for me, well, he'll try. I'll be fine, they'll get over it. But... She'll need to stay. At least for a little bit.'

Laura nodded. She dimly heard the shower switch off above her, so she gave Clint's shoulder a soft squeeze before going to leave the room.

'Second chances, yeah?'

He smiled weakly. 'Yeah... Something like that.'


	2. Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nat and Laura bond, and Clint is forced to return to SHIELD. Sorry, that's a really crap summary. Enjoy :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's really short, sorry, but I'm hoping to post the next one tomorrow :)
> 
> As always, I love your comments :) pls talk to me :)

Laura knocked on the bathroom door. 'Natalia? I have some clothes, if you want. They might fit better than the ones you're wearing.'

She received no reply, but a moment layer the door opened, and the girl reached out a small hand to take the clothing, closing the door afterwards.

Well, that went better than expected.

 _Her whole life..._ She shook her head, trying to erase Clint's words from her mind. What did he mean? The idea of a small child learning to fight - to kill - made her sick to her stomach.

Well, she was going to have plenty of time to investigate that statement.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Natalia walked out, now wearing some of Laura's leggings and a T-shirt of Clint's.

'I... Thank you. For everything.' She started to smile at Laura, but it died halfway to her lips. 'I have never had clothes of my own. It is nice, I think.'

Smiling weakly at the other girl, Laura vowed to make sure that this girl could have a normal life. A proper life. 'Oh yeah? Well we'll go shopping then.'

A look of confusion flashed across Natalia's face, but she quickly schooled her features back into blankness. Pretending that she hadn't noticed, Laura continued. 'Clint has to go back to SHIELD. But it's not safe for you, so you're gonna stay here, yeah?'

Natalia nodded, slowly. ' _Da._ Okay.'

She fiddled with the hem of Clint's t-shirt, clearly uncomfortable.

'Your husband is a good man.'

Laura smiled. She could tell that the statement was hard for the other girl to say, and she appreciated the effort. 'I know. Thank you.' Again, Laura saw a flicker of surprise flash across the other girl's face, but she pretended she hadn't noticed.

A glance at the clock told her that it was now around 5:30. Breakfast? It was a bit early. Oh, screw it. It wasn't like she had a normal routine anyway, with Clint turning up at odd hours and whatnot. In an overly bright voice, she turned to Natalia and asked 'Breakfast?'

She nodded wordlessly, before following Laura down the stairs of the farmhouse, only to find Clint already making fresh pancakes. Laughing, Laura grabbed some off the stack and placed them on a plate for Natalia. 'Syrup's in the fridge.'

The girl looked down at the pancakes, confusion showing on her face. 'What are they?'

Clint's jaw dropped. 'You've never had PANCAKES?' Natalia's eyes flashed with anger, but before she could comment, Clint had whipped the plate out of her hands, smothering the chocolate-chip pancakes in syrup. Thrusting them back in front of her, he nodded to the fork in her hand. 'Try them.'

Warily, Natalia cut off a small piece of the pancake, placing it in her mouth. Her eyes widened in surprise, causing both Clint and Laura to burst out laughing. 'Go on. Eat up, there's plenty to go around.'

Natalia sat down to continue eating her pancakes, and was soon joined by the others. They ate breakfast in a companionable silence, broken only by the clatter of cutlery on their plates.

\----------

After they had filled the dishwasher, Clint leaned over to wrap his arms around Laura. 'I should go,' he mumbled into her hair.

She turned around to embrace him properly, brushing a kiss to his cheek. 'D'you know when you'll be back?'

He sighed, shaking his head, and Laura tightened her arms around him. 'Phone me tomorrow, yeah?'

He nodded, brushing his lips to hers, and there they stayed until they parted with one final kiss. 'See you soon Laur.'

'Be good. Don't terrorize the newbies.'

He faked a gasp. 'I would never.'

She rolled her eyes, and then waved as he drove away, not stopping until he was out of sight. Her eyes stung as she swiped away the tears which were threatening to fall. Why did it never get any easier to send him away? _Because you're sending him into danger. One day, he's going to get killed, and then where will you be Laura Barton?_

She quickly shook her thoughts from her head, instead entering the living room.

The sight that greeted her filled her with surprise, but she tried not to let it show. Natalia was curled up in the window seat, gazing out of the window, lost in thought. Laura couldn't help feeling that _this_ was the real Natalia, instead of the facade they had been seeing.

She backed out of the room, instead going into the kitchen. Baking was good. Baking helped her to distract herself from her thoughts. Laura spent the day creating all manner of cakes and biscuits, only speaking to the other girl when she had taken a plate of sandwiches of her for lunch, but otherwise content to let her gaze out of the window.

When dinnertime rolled around, she went into the other room, to ask Natasha for her help. The girl was lying down, seemingly asleep, although Laura knew better.

'Natalia?' She whispered quietly.

The girls eyes snapped open, and she turned to look at Laura, her body tense.

'It's okay. I was just wondering if you could give me a hand with dinner?'

The girl furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. 'But we've already eaten today. Twice.'

Laura raised her eyebrows, trying to stop the heartbreak that she felt show across her face. Where had this girl come from, that she was confused by the idea of eating 3 meals a day?

'While you're here, you will receive 3 meals a day. Every day. Okay?' The other girl nodded. 'You have a right to food. Everyone on this planet has a right to food and water.'

'You shall only get food if you deserve it,' the girl murmured under her breath. 'Monsters don't need feeding.'

Laura jerked her head up, shocked. 'NO, Natalia. That's a lie. I don't care what you have been told in your past, but that is an outright lie. You deserve food. And water. And a life.' She paused, stepping closer to the girl, and looking in the eyes. 'And you will NEVER call yourself a monster ever again. You understand?'

When Natalia didn't reply, Laura reached over to brush her fingers across back of the girl's hand. 'You are not a monster, Natalia.'

Ignoring the tears that she could see glistening in the other girl's eyes, she took grasped her hand firmly and led her into the kitchen. 'What would you like to eat?'

She only received a shrug in response, so she flicked through the recipe book, eventually settling on lasagna.

Together, the two of them assembled the lasagna and popped it into the oven, and when she tried it, Laura saw the first real smile cross Natalia's face. 'You like it?'

She nodded quickly, smiling across the table, and Laura grinned back. 'I'll teach you to cook, if you want. It's not like we have a shortage of time.'

Natalia gave her a small smile. 'I'd like that.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments make me write faster :)


	3. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I got excited, so here you go :) Enjoy!

Laura opened her eyes, startled, only to be greeted by the pitch black bedroom. Confused, she listened out for what had woken her, but upon hearing nothing, she rose to investigate. It was difficult to sleep with a world class assassin in the house, so she had a right to be a little bit jumpy.

She was nearing the top of the stairs when she heard a pained whimper from the guest bedroom, where Natalia was sleeping. Over the past week, she and Natalia had grown closer, although her past was still a mystery.

Opening the door, she felt her heart stop as she saw the girl trembling in her sleep, her face twisted into a pained expression. Suddenly, she bolted upright, then huddled into a ball in an attempt to stop herself from shaking. Laura stepped forward, as Natalia wiped the cold sweat from her face, unnoticed by the girl.

'Natalia?'

The girl spun round, terrified, reaching for anything with which she could defend herself. Laura quickly raised her hands, showing that they were empty. 'It's okay. I'm not here to hurt you. You were having a nightmare.'

Upon noticing that Laura was not a threat, Natalia sunk down against the bed, bringing her hands up to wipe her face again. She took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself, but to no avail.

Cautiously, Laura approached the bed, perching next to Natalia. 'Do you want to talk about it?'

She shook her head, and then shrugged. Laura waited patiently, giving Natalia time to think. After a long pause, she opened her mouth to speak.

'Before Clint brought me here, I was running. I was running because the people who trained me, who took me, they were after me. Because I escaped from them.'

Laura paused, unsure of how to phrase her question. 'Why were you running from them?'

Natalia's eyes flashed with anger. Her american accent slipping as she got increasingly more upset. 'Because they took me, when I was 4, and they... They were bad people. They trained me, and they did things to me. They made me do things that... Bad things. They made me do very bad things. And I do not want to do it anymore, I do not want to be their slave any more. So I run.'

Laura nodded gently. This was only the tip of the iceberg, she could tell that. But it took trust to open up, and she was grateful for the trust that Natalia had placed in her. 'What was your nightmare about?'

Natalia froze momentarily, and Laura cursed herself. _Too soon._ Softly, she added 'You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.'

Natalia shook her head. 'I dreamt that they found me.' She took a shaky breath. 'If they find me, they will take me back, and make me into who I was. They will use what ever means necessary to make me loyal to them.' She swallowed. Her voice was quiet when she continued, 'I would rather die than have them take me back.'

Laura nodded, the pieces sliding into place. 'Clint told me... He told me that when he looked into your eyes, he saw... hope. Did you want him to kill you?'

She shrugged. 'I don't know. I was tired of running, but too much of a coward to end it myself. I just wanted to stop running.' She looked over to Laura, her eyes soft. 'I do not want to die anymore. You are kind to me.' The _and I don't deserve it_ was left unspoken, but Laura heard it anyway. She squeezed Natalia's hand gently.

'You can stay here for as long as you want, Natalia.'

Shaking her head sadly, Natalia replied, her voice broken, 'I don't know who I am anymore. I am not Natalia.'

Laura reached over to place her hand on Natalia's cheek, tilting the girl's face towards her own. 'You don't have to be Natalia anymore, not if you don't want to. You can be whoever you want to be.'

Nodding uncertainly, Natalia squeezed Laura's hand. 'Thank you.'

Her eyes held so many emotions, too many to name, but her voice shone with gratitude. Laura smiled. This poor girl, who had been through too much, could have a fresh start. She could turn her life around, if she wanted to. All she had to do was try.

She turned back to Natalia, her eyes soft, and asked 'Do you think you'll be able to sleep?'

Natalia nodded. 'I'll try.'

Smiling, Laura gave her hand a final squeeze, before leaving the room and returning to her own bed, her head spinning with thoughts of terrifying faceless monsters and lonely Russian assassins.

\----------

She awoke to smell of fried bacon filling the house, and after getting up, she wandered into the kitchen to see Natalia creating a full fry up. Trying not to laugh, she switched on the coffee machine. Teaching Natalia to cook had been interesting, to say the least, but they had definitely bonded - which had been her intention all along.

'Morning Natalia,' she greeted the girl.

Natalia turned around, spatula in hand, a thoughtful look on her face. 'I thought about what you said last night. I don't want to be Natalia any more.'

Laura nodded, understandingly. 'Who do you want to be?'

'I will be Natasha.' Uncertainty was written across her face, so Laura reached over to brush a stray lock of fiery hair from her face, trying to ignore the tingling sensation that rushed through her bones as their skin touched.

'Natasha. I like it.' Laura smiled, and then reached out her hand. 'It's nice to meet you Natasha.'

Natalia smiled softly, leaning over to shake Laura's hand. 'It's nice to meet you too, Laura Barton.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated :)


	4. Hesitation and Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint and Laura talk about Natasha, and things get interesting :)
> 
> I am so sorry for the crappy summary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I might have got really excited and written the last chapter :) Enjoy!

Almost 6 weeks later, Laura and Natasha were sitting down to breakfast when they heard the distinct sound of a truck pulling up on gravel. Natasha tensed, reaching for her gun, but before she could grab it Laura ran to the window.

'Clint!'

Following Laura, who had sprinted out to greet the truck, Natasha walked out to meet the couple, who were now strolling up to the house.

'Hey, Natalia.' Clint greeted her, causing her to tense at the name.

'It's Natasha.' She replied sharply, and Laura shot a worried look in her direction. The words came out harsher than she had intended, and Clint raised an eyebrow in surprise. Looking down at the floor, she murmured an apology.'

Clint looked even more surprised by the apology, but didn't comment, instead leading them both into the house. Laura reached over behind his back to squeeze Natasha's shoulder comfortingly, trying her hardest to ignore the hot sensation that filled her when she touched Natasha's skin, but without much success. Natasha smirked at her knowingly, and she had to fight down the blush that was creeping across her cheeks.

Natasha opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off as Laura whispered 'Don't you _dare_ , Natasha Romanov.'

Still smirking, Natasha sauntered into the house, with Laura close behind. They both knew exactly what was going on, but refused to acknowledge it.

_She has a husband,_ Natasha reminded herself.

_She has bigger things to deal with,_ Laura reminded herself.

So they carried on as they were, neither of them doing anything about it.

\----------

'Laura?'

Clint was lying across the bed, taking up almost the entire thing. He had been back for two weeks, and Laura knew that when he left she was going to miss sharing a bed with him, no matter how irritating he could be. His tone was curious, but slightly cautious and Laura turned to look at him, studying his face carefully.

'Yeah, what is it?' _Don't ask, don't ask, Please don't ask._

He grinned at her teasingly. 'Sooo... What's up with you and Nat?' _Shit._

'Uh...Nothing? Why do you ask?'

His grin widened, and Laura could feel the heat rising up her cheeks. Nothing was going on. She didn't know how Nat would react - or how Clint would either, although he seemed to love the idea.

'You know, you're adorable when you're flustered.'

She groaned, hiding her face in a pillow, causing Clint to laugh softly. 'Laur, I don't mind if you have feelings for her. I think... she has feelings for you.'

Laura looked at him, confused. 'I'm married. To you.'

Clint looked down at his wedding ring, fake surprise written across his face. 'Wait, what? We got married? When was that?' He gasped sarcastically, continuing 'Sorry, I didn't notice. My mistake.'

'Oh my gosh, you are such a dork.' She moved to throw the pillow she was lying on at his head, but he caught it. Muttering something about freakish levels of hand eye coordination, she lay back down on the bed, grinning. Suddenly, the final puzzle piece clicked into place. Oh my gosh, she was such an _idiot_. How had she missed it?

Leaning over to her husband, she brushed a kiss to his lips. 'I think that you have feelings for Natasha. Am I right?'

He shot her a guilty look, before nodding cautiously. 'Is that wrong? I mean... You're my wife. And I don't love you any less, its just - '

' - you have feelings for her too.' Laura finished. He nodded understandingly.

'Exactly.'

They paused, looking at each other, before he leaned over to kiss her soft lips again, running his tongue over her bottom lip. When he pulled back, he whispered 'What do we do?'

Laura shifted so that she was sat on the bed facing him. If they were going to have a serious conversation, it was probably best not to have it from his lap. She bit her lip.

'I think... we need to give it more time. I don't know if she's ready...'

Clint nodded. 'Okay. More time. That we can do.'

Laura leaned in to kiss him, roughly this time. and he kissed her back with equal passion, wound up after their conversation.

'Patience,' she reminded him, running her teeth along his shoulder. He groaned, but before he could respond Laura decided to cut off his train of thought with her body, promptly bringing their conversation to a close.

 

\----------

 

Two days after their conversation, Laura walked in from the garden to find Natasha on the couch, watching her hungrily. She swallowed. 'Hey Nat.'

'Hey Laur.' She coughed, nervously. 'I...uh.. talked to Clint. He told me... about your conversation. Told me to think about it.'

Laura shuffled her feet nervously. 'And?'

'And...I don't know what I'm doing, but... I want to try. You... and Clint, but mainly you... you have done do much for me. And you're too good for me, by far, and I know that - '

She stopped abruptly as Laura cupped her face softly with both hands. 'Natasha Romanov, I'd really like to kiss you right now.'

Licking her lips in anticipation, Natasha leaned forward to brush them against the other woman's, and then wrapped her arm around Laura to bring her closer.

The kiss was like nothing she had ever felt before, so full of passion and wonder. Tilting her head so that she could explore Laura's mouth with her tongue, Natasha tasted fresh berries and safety and warmth and Laura.

Laughing, she moved away from Laura slightly, her eyes sparkling. 'What have I been missing?' she whispered softly.

 

A voice piped up from the doorway, where Clint was now stood staring at them both, tangled together on the couch. His mouth hung open in surprise, and he swallowed, lost for words. 'More to the point, What have  _I_ been missing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live off your comments :)
> 
> (pls talk to me <3 )

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it :)  
> Title was shamelessly stolen from the song 'Safe & Sound', by Electric President if anyone wants to know.
> 
> As always, comments are much appreciated <3


End file.
